updated 05:45 pm EDT, Wed July 13, 2011

Most PC makers show a decline in sales

Apple has continued to achieve strong sales in the US, as one of only two companies to show positive growth from the second quarter of 2010 to the second quarter of this year, according to data collected by research firm Gartner. Mac sales in the US market were up by 8.5 percent, outpacing Apple's closest competitor, Toshiba, which showed gains of just 3.3 percent.

Although the second quarter usually shows an overall gain in computer sales, 2Q11 sales slipped by 5.6 percent in the US market. Acer was hardest hit, with a 22.6 percent slide in shipments, while Dell's numbers dropped by 9.8 percent and HP lost just 1.2 percent.

"Based on preliminary results, Apple showed the strongest growth among the top-tier vendors in the US, as it climbed from fifth place to third, overtaking Acer and Toshiba," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. "The preliminary findings show Apple's performance far exceeded the industry average partly driven by an iMac refreshment that attracted both consumers and buyers in the education sector."

Lenovo was the big winner outside of the US, with worldwide shipments up by 22.5 percent as the overall market grew by just 2.3 percent. HP, Dell and Acer slightly outperformed the overall trend, while Acer's shipments dropped by 20.4 percent and Toshiba's numbers slid by 1.9 percent.